Tyrus “Ty” Cobb was a baseball legend. During his incredible career, he made 4,191 hits and stole 892 bases. His lifetime batting average of .367 remains the best in major league history.

Cobb played for the Detroit Tigers from 1905-26 (He served as a playing manager for the last five of those years). The image at right depicts him in 1912. A Tiger’s schedule for that year appears on the reserve side of the original photo.

In 1912, Navin Field opened. Prior to this, the park was called Bennett park, and before that, Recreation park. After Navin Field, the site became Briggs Stadium and finally Tiger Stadium.

The year 1912 also saw the first strike in baseball history. On May 15, Cobb punched a fan in New York and was suspended. His teammates staged a strike in retaliation. Tigers management put together a “sandlot team,” which lost 24-2 to the Philadelphia Athletics. The players then ended the strike, at Cobb’s urging.